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Tuberculous Meningitis in Children and Adults: A 10-Year Retrospective Comparative Analysis.

ABSTRACT: Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is the most lethal form of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, which has a high rate of neurological complications and sequelae.Our study offers a real-world infectious disease clinic perspective, being thus representative for the clinical environment of developing countries.We performed a retrospective analysis of the 127 adult and 77 pediatric cases diagnosed with TBM in the Infectious Disease Hospital of the School of Medicine of Iasi, Romania between 2004-2013.Definite diagnosis of TBM was established in 31% of children but in only 20% of adults (p = 0.043). A contact with an individual with pulmonary tuberculosis was documented in 30% of children vs. 13% of adults (p = 0.0007). Coma occurred in 19% of patients (similar in children and adults); other consciousness abnormalities were seen in 27% of children and in 72% of adults (p = 0.000001). Cranial nerve palsies occurred prior to therapy in 9% of cases (12% vs 7% of children and adults, respectively, p>0.05), and developed 2-7 days after treatment initiation in 10% (12 vs 9%). CSF cultures were positive for M. tuberculosis in 24% of patients (31% vs. 20%, p>0.05). Overall mortality was 7.35%, similar for children and adults. Yet, permanent neurological sequelae, which were seen in 23% of patients occurred significantly more frequent in children vs. adults (36% vs. 14%, respectively, p = 0.0121). In conclusion, our retrospective analysis on a significant number of cases of TBM identified striking differences between children and adults: while children were in an earlier stage at the admission, they associated a higher frequency of neurological sequelae and miliary pattern, and they were more likely to have normal CSF protein levels and positive cultures of CSF.

SUBMITTER: Miftode EG

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4506084 | biostudies-other | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:BackgroundAdjunctive glucocorticoids are widely used to treat human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated tuberculous meningitis despite limited data supporting their safety and efficacy.MethodsWe conducted a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving HIV-positive adults (≥18 years of age) with tuberculous meningitis in Vietnam and Indonesia. Participants were randomly assigned to receive a 6-to-8-week tapering course of either dexamethasone or placebo in addition to 12 months of antituberculosis chemotherapy. The primary end point was death from any cause during the 12 months after randomization.ResultsA total of 520 adults were randomly assigned to receive either dexamethasone (263 participants) or placebo (257 participants). The median age was 36 years; 255 of 520 participants (49.0%) had never received antiretroviral therapy, and 251 of 484 participants (51.9%) with available data had a baseline CD4 count of 50 cells per cubic millimeter or less. Six participants withdrew from the trial, and five were lost to follow-up. During the 12 months of follow-up, death occurred in 116 of 263 participants (44.1%) in the dexamethasone group and in 126 of 257 participants (49.0%) in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.85; 95% confidence interval, 0.66 to 1.10; P = 0.22). Prespecified analyses did not reveal a subgroup that clearly benefited from dexamethasone. The incidence of secondary end-point events, including cases of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome during the first 6 months, was similar in the two trial groups. The numbers of participants with at least one serious adverse event were similar in the dexamethasone group (192 of 263 participants [73.0%]) and the placebo group (194 of 257 participants [75.5%]) (P = 0.52).ConclusionsAmong HIV-positive adults with tuberculous meningitis, adjunctive dexamethasone, as compared with placebo, did not confer a benefit with respect to survival or any secondary end point. (Funded by the Wellcome Trust; ACT HIV ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03092817.).

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Tuberculous Meningitis in Children and Adults: A 10-Year Retrospective Comparative Analysis.

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